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SentBe Enters the Global $5.9B Digital Overseas Remittance Market

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By 2031, the digital overseas remittance market, expected to grow annually by 22%, will likely reach $45.2 billion. In this burgeoning market, SentBe, led by CEO Alex Seong-Ouk Choi, has announced its definitive entry.

Following the June introduction of the API-based B2B payment solution ‘SentBiz KRW Collection’, supporting seamless international business payments for foreign enterprises requiring Korean Won collection and multi-currency settlements, SentBe is poised to expand its personal small-scale overseas remittance service regionally on a global scale.

Recent studies by global market research platform Business Research have forecast the digital overseas remittance market, worth $5.9 billion in 2022, to grow at a 22% annual rate, reaching $45.2 billion by 2031.

The rise in migrant workers and the increasing prevalence of easy and quick remittance options, compared to traditional banking services, are accelerating this growth.

In response, SentBe is intensifying its direct global market entry, capitalizing on its competitive edge in digital overseas remittance services. Having established a corporation in Singapore, Asia’s forex financial hub, SentBe is bolstering its competitiveness in providing overseas remittance and payment services, utilizing its efficiency, ease of use, and customer accessibility.

SentBe’s remittance services are well-recognized for their low fees, rapid processing, 24/7 availability, and recipient-friendly options.

Established in 2015, SentBe strives toward its mission of “A World Without Financial Borders,” developing a broad global partnership network and building a business infrastructure aligned with global standards.

SentBe showcases both the individual small-scale overseas remittance service ‘SentBe’ and the business-focused overseas remittance and payment solution ‘SentBiz’.

Particularly noteworthy, SentBe initiated its C2C service in 2016, focusing initially on migrant workers within Korea. This service was distinguished by its safety, convenience, and competitively low fees.

Following its domestic success, SentBe expanded this service across various Asian countries, including Singapore and Indonesia, based on its strong performance and positive reception. As SentBe prepares for its entry into the global market, the C2C service is set to broaden significantly.

This expansion will cater not only to migrant workers and Korean expatriates within the countries where the service is offered but also to students and other long-term residents from Korea, effectively making SentBe’s services accessible to a global audience.

Currently, SentBe’s C2C service supports remittances to over 50 countries globally, including the United States, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, with the capability to complete transactions within a single day. Offering remittance fees that are up to 90% lower compared to conventional banks, this service has become increasingly popular among migrant workers in Korea and across Asia.

According to SentBe’s 2023 Business Impact Report, from 2016 to 2023, migrant workers using the C2C service have saved a total of $264 million in fees. Notably, 71% of these transactions have been remittances sent back to Southeast Asia, indicating that the savings on fees significantly boosted the amount of money workers could send home.

Looking forward, SentBe is committed to further refining the remittance process, drawing on its comprehensive understanding of the remittance needs and experiences of migrant workers from Asia, including those in Korea, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Additionally, SentBe is significantly enhancing cost reduction and operational efficiency for both domestic and international companies through its proprietary API settlement solution, ‘SentBiz’.

This service offers tailored financial solutions to global corporations that require local settlements in individual countries. From 2020 to 2023, companies utilizing SentBiz have realized a total of $76 million in fee savings.

The recently launched SentBiz KRW Collection, for instance, provides a comprehensive one-stop service for international money transfer operators (MTOs), payment gateway (PG) providers, and global e-commerce platforms that need to collect Korean Won within the Korean market.

This service simplifies complex financial processes by offering features such as multi-currency settlements in 31 global currencies across 174 countries, enabling payment without the need for currency exchange through the use of secure virtual accounts

CEO Alex Seong-Ouk Choi of SentBe said, ‘We are continually researching the affordability, accessibility, and inclusiveness of SentBe’s offerings, as evidenced by our 2023 Business Impact Report.

Notably, 68% of transactions through our personal small-scale overseas remittance service occurred outside of traditional banking hours, and it was found that approximately 80% of transactions from our B2B client’s single requests consisted of multiple transactions, which were often processed on the same day.

For corporate clients, eliminating the need to visit a bank not only enhanced accessibility but also significantly improved their operational efficiency.

Although usage patterns vary among customers, 92% of all transactions across these services were completed within 24 hours of the request, and 90% of transactions over weekends were completed within one day.

The reason both individual and corporate clients are highly satisfied with SentBe’s services is that they offer the convenience of handling multiple transactions swiftly and outside of regular banking hours, which is not possible with traditional financial institutions.'”

CEO Choi added, “The widespread adoption of our online remittance services by both individuals and businesses has significantly contributed to the rapid growth of the digital overseas remittance market.

“As SentBe continues to expand internationally, leveraging our innovative solutions, unique business infrastructure, and secure management capabilities, we aim to be recognized as a leading cross-border payment solution company in the global fintech payment/remittance sector”.

Meanwhile, SentBe continues to drive sustainable growth and expand its geographical and service reach in the global market, based on its achievements in Korea and Asia.

It operates a dedicated in-house Legal & Compliance Division, comprising domestic and international financial legal experts, ensuring compliance with global laws and managing foreign exchange risks.

With over 80 global partnerships, SentBe maintains an information security system and safety standards that meet global criteria.

Moreover, SentBe is the first and only Korean fintech firm to have acquired a Singapore Cross-border Money Transfer Service License from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 2020, solidifying its robust legal foundation for handling international remittance and payment transactions.

 


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NIA Questions Legality of Reps’ Financial Probe

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The Nigerian Insurers Association has urged the House Committee on Capital Market and Institutions to respect the constitutional separation of powers as it carries out a probe on over 20 insurance firms.

In a statement on Tuesday night, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIA, Mrs Bola Odukale, said the decision of NIA and the affected firms to approach the court was to seek clarity on the constitutional limits of the House Committee’s probe.

It would be recalled that the House of Representatives on Monday is investigating no fewer than 25 insurance companies operating in the country for various financial infractions spanning financial reporting, claims settlement, premium remittance, and issuance of policies.

The Chairman, House Sub-Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, Kwamoti Laori, during a meeting with the management of the insurance companies at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, said the meeting was convened following the receipt of a petition on infractions by the insurance companies.

In the statement, Odukale said, “The Association wishes to state unequivocally that all actions taken by the NIA and the affected member companies in response to the Committee’s invitations and pronouncements were based entirely on legal advice by its Solicitors. It was on the firm instruction of legal counsel that recourse was made to the courts.

“The objective of approaching the Court is to seek judicial guidance on the legality, propriety, and constitutional limits of the Committee’s intervention in order to safeguard institutional integrity, uphold regulatory independence, and ensure that legislative oversight remains within the bounds of law.

“The Court action seeks to determine whether the current posture of the Committee reflects an exercise of legislative judgment, which, by constitutional design, is the exclusive province of statutory regulators, such as the National Insurance Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Exchange, Financial Reporting Council, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and the National Information Technology Development Agency.

“This raises serious questions about legislative overreach and an erosion of the doctrine of separation of powers, a cornerstone of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.”

Odukale maintained that the NIA was committed to lawful and constructive engagement with all arms of government, provided that such engagement respects the autonomy of statutory regulators and the boundaries established by the Constitution.

“The NIA will continue to provide its full support to all member companies while upholding the principles of legal compliance and sector-wide integrity,” Odukale concluded.

17 of the companies that went to court were represented by their lawyer, Mr Abimbola Kayode, at the meeting with the committee.


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Horn of Africa Leaders Seek Enhanced Digital Integration for Increased Regional Growth

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Finance ministers and development partners from the Horn of Africa have called for enhanced digital integration to boost trade, drive economic growth and promote regional stability during the 25th Ministerial Meeting of the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI).

Held in Nairobi, on July 14, the meeting was co-chaired by the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo and Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Bihi Iman Egeh. Discussions underscored the critical role of digital integration in reducing trade barriers, boosting government service delivery and creating employment — particularly for the region’s youth.

“Digital technologies are shaping today’s economy and tomorrow’s industries. By embedding these technologies into our programs, we can not only improve inclusion but also leapfrog outdated development models,” said Nwabufo.

She called for digital integration a “central enabler” in each of the Horn of Africa Initiative’s pillars – trade, infrastructure, resilience, and human capital,

Learning through experience

Drawing from global and regional success stories, speakers highlighted the transformative potential of technology-led development. The ministers pointed to the Philippines as a strong example, where ICT has generated millions of jobs in business process outsourcing. Similarly, Kenya’s fintech innovation—especially the success of M-PESA—was cited as a model for scaling digital financial services across the region.

Participants urged governments to proactively foster digital ecosystems by capitalizing on the demographic dividend, identifying infrastructure upgrades, tighter regulatory reforms, and digital skills trainings as priorities to enable broader participation in the digital economy.

Minister Egeh reiterated the need for more coordinated regional efforts to create the enabling environment required for accelerated digital integration and expansion. He referenced the HoAI Digital Policy Matrix, adopted in 2023 which provides a blueprint on how to address key obstacles to achieving effective digital integration across the region.

Barack Makokha, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, underscored the importance of regionally-aligned public private partnerships and advocated for blended financing to reduce investment risk and expand digital access in underserved areas.

World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ndiame Diop, called for a comprehensive multi-pronged approach, combining cross-border coordination, large-scale financing, robust policy support, and digital infrastructure investments. He pointed out that such measures could transform digital integration into, “a powerful engine of economic transformation” for the Horn of Africa—ensuring no one is left behind in the digital era.

The meeting concluded with a shared recognition that sustained political will and the determination to implement a multifaceted approach are essential to unlocking the region’s economic potential and driving long-term growth.

The event also welcomed observers from the East African Community, Agence française de développement, and Shelter Afrique, reflecting strong regional and international backing for the HoAI in the development community.


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CSCS Inaugurates Custodian Portal to Enhance Digital Access, Operational Efficiency

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Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), Nigeria’s capital market infrastructure provider, has launched its Custodian Portal, a user-centric digital solution designed to optimise custodian operations through intuitive, secure and efficient features.

Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CSCS, announced this in a statement on Monday.

The CSCS is a Public Limited Company with a diversified shareholder base, which serves as the Central Securities Depository for the Nigerian Capital Market.

It serves as the Central Depository for Equities, Commercial Papers, Corporate Bonds, Sub-National Bonds, certain Sovereign Bonds like the FGN Sukuk and the FGN Savings Bond, Equity-traded Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts, Mutual funds and Commodities.

Jalo-Waziri said that the custodian portal offered a streamlined experience for market participants with powerful tools that facilitate comprehensive portfolio and trade management, document tracking, share transfer operations, client symbol search, and real-time access to vital data.

He explained that the portal, designed to operate through a flexible subscription-based model, empowered users to manage their records effortlessly and securely through convenient payment channels such as GTPay and Paystack.

According to him, “Digital transformation remains at the core of our strategy to enhance the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of Nigeria’s capital market services.

“The custodian portal is a significant leap in that direction, offering custodians a centralised platform to manage critical processes in real-time.

“We are excited about the value this innovation brings to our stakeholders, and we will continue to evolve the platform in line with users’ needs and industry trends.”

The CEO also explained that the portal was designed with user experience in mind with feature tools like portfolio viewing and downloads in PDF or Excel format.

He further said that it also featured tracking of stock movements across date ranges, inbox messaging and request tracking, as well as robust user management capabilities including role assignment and status tracking.

Similarly, the Divisional Head, Business Technology and Digital Innovation, CSCS Plc, Tobe Nnadozie, said that the portal aligned with CSCS’s drive to automate the market.

“In addition to the normal features, the platform is a part of an omnichannel platform for custodians, and includes API services.

“It also connects to the market-wide workflow, which CSCS has built to ensure secured communication and approvals across all major stakeholders in the market.

“The platform is well secured with best-of-breed cybersecurity solutions and our SOC,” he said.

The Custodian Portal reinforces CSCS’s commitment to leveraging technology to streamline back-office functions and support a more agile, data-driven capital market ecosystem.

All custodians in the Nigerian capital market have now been successfully on-boarded on the Custodian Portal, marking a significant milestone in CSCS’s ongoing drive to enhance collaboration, standardise operational processes, and promote digital adoption across the market.


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